Is There Any Real Political Appetite for Healthcare Reform?

Healthcare reformers spend a lot of time thinking about what a better healthcare system might look like, but they also need to pay attention to what kinds of reform, if any, people really want. The latest polling data from the Kaiser Family Foundation suggest that there is still a real appetite for reform, provided it is framed properly. Here are three key take-aways:

First, eighty percent of those who responded to the KFF poll think drug prices are unreasonable. Even though prescription drugs account for just 10 percent of U.S. healthcare spending, well behind hospitals, nursing homes, and doctors’ fees, doing something about drug prices beat out several other legislative priorities among those polled:

 Second, views on drug pricing are less divided along party lines than are those on many other issues. For example, although Democrats and Republicans were widely split as to whether the NRA or labor unions had too much influence in Washington, their views on the influence of the drug companies were much closer. Three-quarters of Democrats and two-thirds of Republicans agreed that Big Pharma has too much clout in the nation’s capital.

Third, views on drug pricing were not the only aspect of healthcare reform where there substantial cross-party agreement. Majorities of both parties—seven out of every eight Democrats and two out of every three Republicans—supported a national Medicare for All plan for people who wanted it, if those with other coverage could keep what they have. A different phrasing of the question, which implied an immediate switch to a single government-run plan for everyone, was much more divisive, drawing two-thirds support among Democrats but just one-third support among Republicans.

The implications for reformers are clear:

• Prescription drug prices are a more salient issue for the public than the share of drug costs in total healthcare spending would suggest.
• Prescription drug prices are a politically unifying issue.
• Not everyone is unhappy with the healthcare system as it is. Politically viable reform will require attention to the wishes of those who do not want change as well as those who do.

Reposted from NiskanenCenter.org